Israel's Kent State?

Some fellow named Moshe Yaroni has likened Israel's act of self-defense aboard the Mavi Marmara to the shootings by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University in May 1970 which resulted in the deaths of four students. Yaroni writes:

When I first heard confirmed reports of this massacre, I thought of the Kent State shootings in 1970. That horrific tragedy, like this one, was the result of a government using ridiculously disproportionate force against civil disobedience.

First, for Yaroni to suggest that what happened aboard the Mavi Marmara was a massacre is utter nonsense. It implies the IDF boarded the ship with intent to wantonly kill.

The IDF boarded the other five ships in the flotilla without incident. Had those aboard the Mavi Marmara exercised similar prudence we would not be engaging in this discourse.

Instead, those aboard the Mavi Marmara assaulted the IDF with knives, baseball bats and whatever else they could get their hands on. As one of the thugs on board explained before the incident, "There are two possible happy endings. Either we will reach Gaza or we will achieve martyrdom.” I guess they are now enjoying their 72 virgins.

The four students killed at Kent State forty years ago weren't assaulting the Ohio National Guard much less armed. In fact, two of the four students killed had no involvement in the anti-war protest and were simply trying to get from one class to another. There were no innocent bystanders on the Mavi Marmara. They were looking for a fight to the death and got it.

By employing such a specious analogy, Mr. Maroni has sullied the memories of those killed at Kent State University. Shame on him.

MLB Notes for May

Here are some observations from the world of Major League Baseball during the month of May.

1. Toronto's Towers of Power

Who would have thought the Toronto Blue Jays would be leading the world in home runs?

But the Jays hit 54 home runs this month and overall have 89 for the 2010 season.

Jose Bautista is leading the league with 16 and a resurgent Vernon Wells has 13. Alex Gonzalez has 11 while John Buck, Adam Lind and Aaron Hill each have 8. For good measure, Lyle Overbay and Edwin Encarnacion both have 7.

2. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox

After being shot down in April, Big Papi was riding high in May.

In April, Ortiz hit a paltry .143 with one homerun and 4 RBI. There was talk of giving Ortiz his unconditional release.

In May, Ortiz hit a scalding .363 with 10 homeruns and 27 RBI. With his best numbers in a single month since June 2004, Big Papi is staying put.

He should be named AL Player of the Month.

3. Vladimir Guerrero, Texas Rangers

During his final season with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2009, Vladimir Guerrero was limited to 100 games due to injury and only collected 50 RBI.

In 49 games with the Texas Rangers in 2010, Guerrero already has 44 RBI.

Vlad The Impaler's teeth are sharp again.

4. Chone Figgins, Seattle Mariners

However, another former Angel isn't having such a good time in his new surroundings.

Figgins, a career .291 hitter entering the 2010 season, is currently batting .211.

5. Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies

Unless Jimenez gets hurt or implodes on the mound, he is the frontrunner to win the NL Cy Young Award. At the very minimum, he will be the NL's starting pitcher at the All Star Game in Anaheim.

Jimenez is 10-1 with a 0.78 ERA in 2010. Today, he bested two-time NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum with a complete game four-hit shutout against the Giants. Did I mention he's thrown 26 consecutive scoreless innings?

6. Carlos Silva, Chicago Cubs

If it weren't for Jimenez, Carlos Silva would be the pitching story of 2010.

Silva was an absolute bust for the Seattle Mariners going a combined 5-18 during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

He was traded to the Cubs in the off season for outfielder Milton Bradley. At the time of the trade I wrote that Silva was "essentially a reclamation project" and that he would be competing with Tom Gorzelanny for the fifth spot in the starting rotation.

Through the first two months of the 2010 season, Silva is 7-0 with a 3.12 ERA. In his last start against the St. Louis Cardinals this past Saturday he struck out a career high 11 batters.

Suffice it to say Silva has earned his spot in the Cubs rotation.

7. Charlie Morton, Pittsburgh Pirates

Right now, Charlie Morton is possibly worse off than Silva was in 2008 and 2009.

In ten starts this season, Morton is 1-9 with a 9.35 ERA. He has surrendered 45 runs and 43 and one third innings pitched.

On Friday, Morton was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to shoulder fatigue. More like a stiff neck from watching all those hits sail over his head.

8. Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals

The 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner has not repeated his success of last season.

Greinke, who won 16 games in 2009, is 1-6. However, he does have a respectable 3.39 ERA. The Royals aren't scoring runs for him and were shutout in his most recent start against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

9. Atlanta Braves From Worst to First

What a difference the space of 30 days makes.

At the end of April, the Braves had just snapped a nine game losing streak and were in last place in the NL East.

At the end of May, the Braves have taken over first place in the NL East. The Braves went 20-8 in May and are currently riding a six game winning streak.

So Bobby Cox might end his managerial career on a high note after all.

Thoughts on Israel's Act of Self-Defense

Six ships headed to Gaza attempted to penetrate Israel's naval blockade.

Israeli soldiers borded those ships to inspect for weapons.

Five of the ships co-operated.

The sixth did not. Israeli soldiers were stabbed and beaten with clubs and sticks. One Israeli soldier was thrown overboard.

Israel was left with no choice but to defend themselves and as a result at least nine members of the flotilla are dead.

Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with President Obama tomorrow has been postponed indefinitely. Netanyahu went back to Jerusalem after meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa today.

Naturally, the world is outraged at Israel for "disproportionate force." The fact that the group that organized the flotilla is a terrorist organization based in Turkey doesn't get in the way of their arguments.

Not surprisingly, the UN Security Council is holding an emergency session which it only seems to do where it concerns Israel.

The question is will the United States vote to condemn Israel.

If it does then I'm afraid relations between Israel and the United States will be beyond repair as long as Obama remains in the White House.

But even if it doesn't go along with the condemnation the UN General Assembly will surely establish yet another "fact-finding mission" a la The Goldstone Report which negated Israel's right of self-defense.

At least, Israel has Netanyahu rather than Olmert in charge. Because if Israel doesn't stand up for itself then no one will.

Look Out For Kyle Drabek

Exactly two months ago, I predicted that Kyle Drabek would be named the 2010 American League Rookie of the Year.

(If the name is familiar it's because his father Doug was a pretty darn good pitcher. The elder Drabek pitched for 13 seasons in the bigs and won the NL Cy Young Award in 1990 with the Pittsburgh Pirates going 22-6 with a 2.74 ERA).

Well, that appears about as likely to come to fruition as the Seattle Mariners winning the World Series.

But on this one I don't mind being wrong.

I spent Memorial Day up in Manchester to see the New Hampshire Fishercats (Double A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays) host the Trenton Thunder (Double A affiliate of the New York Yankees). The last time I went to see a Fishercats game I ended up smack dab in the middle of a Barack Obama rally.

Drabek was pitching for the Fishercats and he was in complete control.

Drabek pitched eight innings of shutout baseball giving up only four hits and one walk en route to a 3-0 victory. While he only struck out four batters he worked fast. In fact, the game was finished in two hours. In thirty years of watching baseball, that's the quickest game I've ever seen whether in person, watching on TV or listening on the radio.

He also caught a wicked line drive and turned it into a double play.

The Blue Jays obtained Drabek in the off season from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Roy Halladay deal. I'm sure the Phillies hated giving up Drabek but I think a perfect game would tend to soften that blow.

I would very surprised if Drabek isn't starting games for the Jays before the end of this season. But if not I think he'll be big factor next season. In which case, he could become the 2011 AL Rookie of the Year.

Obama Throws Israel Under The Bus....Again!!!

On Friday, President Obama endorsed a UN backed resolution demanding Israel sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, open its facilities for inspection. A regional conference is also to be held in 2012 on a nuclear free Middle East.

"A nuclear free Middle East" means an Israel without nuclear weapons. This resolution, of course, made no mention of Iran or its nuclear ambitions.

Yesterday, Obama backpedaled and said, "We strongly oppose efforts to single out Israel, and will oppose actions that jeopardize Israel's national security."

Well, if President Obama opposed efforts to to single out Israel and opposed actions jeopardizing Israel's national security then he would have nothing to do with this farce of an agreement.

In an interview with Peter Mansbridge of CBC News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the resolution "distorted and flawed." Earlier, Netanyahu had described it as "deeply flawed and hypocritical."

Netanyahu was in Toronto today and will visit with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (a true friend of Israel) tomorrow before traveling to Washington on Tuesday to visit with President Obama.

I think Netanyahu ought to cancel his meeting with Obama in protest but I doubt he will. Yet how much more can Israel take from this excuse of a President?

Obama Will Meet With Soccer Team But Not AZ Gov.

President Obama has turned down Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's request to meet when she is in Washington, D.C. next Friday.

A White House spokesman states Obama's schedule "doesn't allow for a meeting."

And what pressing business does Obama have next Friday?

He will be meeting with Real Salt Lake, the 2009 Major League Soccer champions.

So while Obama kicks it around with Real Salt Lake he kicks Governor Brewer to the curb.

Kendry Morales Gets a Bad Break

This afternoon, Kendry Morales of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hit a walk off grand slam homerun in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Angels a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

You would think Kendry Morales would be on top of the world.

Instead, Kendry Morales wound up on the bottom of a pile with a broken ankle.

When a player hits a walk off homerun it is fairly common for that player to be greeted by his teammates at home plate. Sometimes the player will jump into the pile.

Well, this is what Morales did and it looked like he slipped or didn't land right.

Instead of leading his team, the Angels' first baseman is headed for surgery tomorrow and could be out for at least two months.

My guess is players won't be doing that for awhile.

Either that or the Rally Monkey left a banana peel on home plate.

Roy Halladay Throws a Perfect Game

Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay threw a perfect game tonight in Miami against the Florida Marlins.

I saw the final three outs of the perfecto on the MLB Network. Halladay faced three pinch hitters. Mike Lamb hit a long fly out to Shane Victorino, Wes Helms struck out looking and Ronny Paulino hit a sharp ground ball to third baseman Juan Castro to end the game and give the Phillies a 1-0 victory.

Halladay's masterpiece comes only 20 days after Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

To put that into perspective, when Jim Bunning threw a perfect game for the Phillies in 1964 against the New York Mets it was the first regular season perfect game since 1922 when Charlie Robertson of the Chicago White Sox pulled it off against the Detroit Tigers.

In case you are wondering, it's the same Jim Bunning who is now the junior Senator from Kentucky (or at least will be until January).

Needless to say, Halladay joins Bunning as the only Phillies to throw perfect games.

Halladay actually came within one out of throwing a perfect game in his second big league start with the Toronto Blue Jays. On September 27, 1998, all that stood between Halladay and perfection was Bobby Higginson who hit a ball over the left field wall at Toronto's Skydome (as it was then known). However, Halladay would settle for a one-hitter for his first big league victory.

Tonight's perfect game gives Halladay his 155th victory of his MLB career.

When the All-Star Game was held in New York in 2008 there was a parade in honor of that year's All-Stars as well as Baseball Hall of Famers. My Dad and older brother attended the parade. When my Dad saw Halladay he said loudly, "Roy Halladay. The best pitcher in baseball." Halladay saw Dad with his camera and smiled.

Well, if people didn't know Halladay is the best pitcher in baseball they sure do now.

Dennis Hopper, 1936-2010. R.I.P.

Actor Dennis Hopper has died from complications of prostate cancer. He was 74.

Hopper is best known for starring and directing Easy Rider. But Hopper's acting career began in the 1950's when he co-starred with James Dean in both Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. He also was frequently seen on television in shows like Gunsmoke, Bonanza and The Big Valley.

Despite his immense talent, Hopper had a volatile disposition that was exacerbated by excessive drug use. This would impede his career for nearly a decade following Easy Rider. But Hopper would win critical acclaim for his work in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now playing a deranged photographer. It is worth noting that Hopper was an accomplished photographer. Hopper also won praise the following year for his directing and acting in Out of the Blue.

But Hopper really hit his stride in the mid to late 1980's with roles in films like River's Edge, Blue Velvet and Hoosiers. Hopper would earn an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Hoosiers. He would also direct the film Colors starring Robert Duvall and Sean Penn.

Hopper also appeared in the 1994 film Speed and in the first season of 24.

In March, Hopper was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. His weight loss was dramatic and he was also sporting a bandage near his right eye. It would prove to be his last public appearance.

Complicating matters was a bitter divorce from his fifth wife Victoria Duffy.

Although Hopper was considered a countercultural icon his politics gradually became more conservative as he found "less government, more individual freedom" increasingly appealing and began voting Republican starting with Ronald Reagan.

Hopper would even appear in David Zucker's 2005 conservative satire An American Carol. Curiously, Gary Coleman (who died yesterday) also had a part in that film.

However, Hopper would cast his final ballot in 2008 for Barack Obama. During an appearance on The View he said that Sarah Palin "finally sent me over to the other side."

Not that it matters now but I can't help but wonder if he regretted his vote.

Celtics Reach NBA Finals

For the second time in three years, the Boston Celtics have reached the NBA Finals.

Tonight, the Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 96-84 to win Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Final.

After taking a three games to none series lead, the Magic roared back and won Games 4 and 5.

Fortunately, the Celtics did not impersonate the Bruins.

The Celtics will face either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. The Lakers presently have a 3-2 lead in the NBA Western Conference Final. The Lakers have a chance to clinch tomorrow night.

If they do it will be a rematch of two years ago which saw the Celtics win their first NBA Championship in 22 years.

Although I think the Suns would be an equally interesting opponent a majority of Celtics fans say, "We Want L.A.!!!"

Gary Coleman, 1968-2010. R.I.P.

Actor Gary Coleman has died of a intracranial hemorrage as a result of a fall at his home. He was 42.

The diminutive Coleman is best remembered for playing Arnold Jackson on the TV series Diff'rent Strokes which aired on NBC from 1978 to 1985 and on ABC from 1985 to 1986.

The last quarter century had not been kind to Coleman. He took his parents to court over his earnings they misappropriated. Although he won his finances were in such a state that he filed for bankruptcy.

Acting jobs were hard to come by. At one point Coleman took a job as a security guard to make ends meet.

Coleman was one of 135 candidates who ran for Governor of California in 2003 after Gray Davis' recall. He would eventually support Arnold Schwarzenegger's successful gubernatorial bid.

Sometimes he was his own worst enemy with a volatile temper. Matrimony did little to quell his rage.

Then there were his health problems beginning with his congenital kidney disease which required two transplants and stunted his growth. He required constant dialysis. His health took a turn for the worse earlier this year after he suffered two seizures. One of which took place while he was doing a TV interview.

If only that rage could have been channeled into the sort of meaty acting role that would have led people to look at him in a new light. Unfortunately, that chance never came.

Of course, even if it had there's no guarantee it would have led to contentment.

I don't want to sound cliche but given his circumstances he might now very well be in a better place.

Lt. John Finn, 1909-2010. R.I.P.

Retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant John Finn has died. His cause of death is unknown. He was 100 years old.

A career Navy man, Finn would receive the Medal of Honor in 1942 for his valor during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was the first soldier to receive the Medal of Honor during WWII.

Finn used a machine gun to shoot at Japanese airplanes from an exposed position. Despite sustaining wounds from bomb and bullet fragments he managed to supervise the rearmament of American war planes.

Finn, who lived near San Diego, often downplayed his yeoman efforts. He once said, "I was just an uneducated man who got mad as hell one day.”

Thank goodness John Finn was on our side.

Tina Fey to Receive Mark Twain Humor Prize

Earlier this week, Tina Fey was named by the Kennedy Center as the 2010 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

She will receive the award on November 9th.

Past recipients of the award include Bill Cosby, Billy Crystal, George Carlin, Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart and Richard Pryor.

I still don't think she's funny.

FAIR President Dan Stein Cites My AmSpec Article

Dan Stein, President of The Federation of American Immigration Reform (FAIR), has cited my latest article in The American Spectator on his blog.

I write about Assistant Secretary of State for Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) John Morton's criticism of the Arizona immigration law. Morton states the Arizona law is not "good government." Yet the Arizona law clearly states that if a law enforcement official has a reasonable suspicion about a person's immigration status that it is incumbent upon them to contact ICE's 24-hour hotline to answer that question. How exactly is this practice a breach of "good government"?

This article should also soon be available on IC's main site.

UPDATE: The article is now up.

Art Linkletter, 1912-2010. R.I.P.

Television pioneer Art Linkletter has died. The cause of death has not been released. He was 97.

Linkletter was already well established as a radio broadcaster when he ventured into television in 1952. Every weekday for nearly two decades, he hosted Art Linkletter's House Party on CBS. It was an unscripted variety show and its best known segment was Kids Say The Darndest Things. It is estimated that Linkletter interviewed to more than 20,000 children. Years later, Bill Cosby would his own version of Kids Say The Darndest Things which included flashbacks to the Linkletter years. Call it the earliest form of Reality TV.

Linkletter was married for 75 years and was the father of five. However, three of his children would predecease him including his daughter Diane who committed suicide in 1969 just shy of her 21st birthday. Linkletter would blame his daughter's death on LSD and became an anti-drug campaigner.

In his later years, Linkletter would be involved with the United Seniors Association (a.ka. U.S.A Next) which was established as a conservative alternative to AARP.

I knew Linkletter was born in Canada. He was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (our family passed through there twice during our move back and forth between Thunder Bay, Ontario and Victoria, B.C. We always lost stuff there. My mother lost a nightgown and my younger brother lost his R2D2 doll although it was returned to him). But I did not know he had been adopted. It could explain in part why he had such a great connection with children.

Will DOJ Challenge Arizona Immigration Law?

It appears the Department of Justice is putting together a court challenge to Arizona's recently passed immigration law.

At the moment it isn't clear what line of argument the DOJ will use other than it "impedes federal law."

Yet if one actually reads the Arizona immigration law one will find that once a law enforcement official has stopped, detained or arrested an individual and develops a reasonable suspicion the individual is not in the country legally it is incumbent upon the officer to call ICE's 24 hour hotline to verify the individual's immigration status.

To be precise the Arizona immigration law states:

The person's immigration status shall be verified with the federal government pursuant to 8 United States Code Section 1373(c).

And if you take the time to read United States Code Section 1373(c) you will find:

(c) Obligation to respond to inquiries

The Immigration and Naturalization Service shall respond to an inquiry by a Federal, State, or local government agency, seeking to verify or ascertain the citizenship or immigration status of any individual within the jurisdiction of the agency for any purpose authorized by law, by providing the requested verification or status information.

So how exactly does a police officer from Scottsdale placing a call to a hotline established by the federal government for the purpose of verifying an individual's immigration status impede federal law?

It is a matter I address in my latest article which is not yet up on IC's main site but can be found over at The American Spectator. (UPDATE: The article is now up at IC as well).

However, I am under no illusion that you can separate politics from the law anymore than you can take water out of the ocean. If the DOJ challenges the Arizona law and if they get a liberal judge with an axe to grind then watch out.

Obama Authorizes Up To 1,200 National Guard to U.S.-Mexican Border

Perhaps feeling the heat of being out of the step with the public mood on the Arizona immigration law, President Obama today authorized the deployment of up to 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexican border.

President Obama is trying to give the appearance of doing something. Of course, giving the appearance of doing something and actually doing something are entirely different things.

Naturally it begs the question as to how many National Guard will actually be deployed. "Up to 1,200 National Guard" could mean 120 troops or it could mean twelve. But assuming Obama is serious about deploying the maximum number the question is where along the border will they be deployed? Will any be deployed in Arizona? Or will he withhold their deployment unless Arizona repeals SB 1070? Will there be any other strings attached?

It should be noted that in May 2006, former President George W. Bush authorized the deployment of up to 6,000 National Guard troops to the southern border. That is the amount Senator John McCain is seeking. President Obama is authorizing only a fifth of that figure. It is better than nothing but it is still a proverbial drop in the bucket.

Kwame Kilpatrick Isn't Nelson Mandela

Former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been sentenced up to five years in prison for violating the terms of his probation. Kilpatrick plead guilty on obstruction of justice charges in September 2008 prompting his resignation as mayor.

Mike Paul, Kilpatrick's spokesman, said that his client's sentence was like "South Africa during the days of apartheid."

Kwame Kilpatrick is many things. Nelson Mandela isn't one of them.

Blackhawks & Flyers To Face Off in Stanley Cup

Canada will have to wait another year for a Stanley Cup Champion.

Tonight, the Philadelphia Flyers eliminated the Montreal Canadiens in Game 6 of the NHL Eastern Conference Final. No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since the Canadiens in 1993.

The Flyers will face off against the Chicago Blackhawks for Lord Stanley's Cup. The Blackhawks swept the San Jose Sharks in the NHL Western Conference Final yesterday.

It's been a long time since either team has carried the Cup. The Flyers won back to back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975 but have won nothing since despite five subsequent appearances in the NHL Final. The Flyers last appeared in the Stanley Cup in 1997 when they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings who were coached by Scotty Bowman.

The Blackhawks, however, have not won in nearly fifty years. The last triumph for the Blackhawks took place in 1961 when they beat the Red Wings. Like the Flyers, the Blackhawks have made it to the NHL Final five times without grabbing the brass ring. Their most recent Stanley Cup appearance was in 1992 when they were swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins who were coached by - you guessed it - Scotty Bowman.

I'm not crazy about what the Flyers did to the Bruins so I'm rooting for the Blackhawks. They've had a longer drought and let's not forget they're part of the Original Six. If a Canadian team can't win and the Bruins are out then I'll take one of the Original Six teams.

Simon Monjack, 1970-2010. R.I.P.

Simon Monjack, a Hollywood director best known for having been married to actress Brittany Murphy, died late last night of an apparent heart attack. He was 39.

Monjack's death comes only five months after Murphy suddenly died last December. Murphy died at the age of 32 due to complications from pneumonia.

It also appears that Monjack's body was discovered by Murphy's mother Sharon. It was Sharon Murphy who also found her daughter unresponsive at the same home last December.

I can't imagine she would want to stay another night in that house.

Jose Lima, 1972-2010, R.I.P.

Former major league pitcher Jose Lima has died of massive heart attack. He was 37.

Lima compiled an 89-102 record with a 5.26 ERA in 13 big league seasons.

On the surface that wouldn't appear very impressive. Indeed, for much of his career one could make the case Lima didn't have much business on the pitcher's mound.

But at other times Lima could be spectacular. And when he was spectacular it was Lima Time.

After beginning his big league career with the Detroit Tigers in 1994, Lima was traded to the Houston Astros prior to the 1997 season. Lima had his two best seasons in the bigs with the Astros in 1998 and 1999 compiling a 16-8 record with a 3.70 ERA and a 21-10 record with 3.58 ERA, respectively. Lima would finished 4th in NL Cy Young balloting in 1999 and would be named to the NL All-Star Team.

Lima's colorful personality had two sides. A carefree one but also one with a volatile temper. The latter would show itself in 2000. After the Astros moved from the Astrodome to Minute Maid Park (then known as Enron Field) Lima couldn't adapt to the hitter friendly facility. He fell to 7-16 with an astronomical 6.65 ERA. He surrendered 48 home runs and gave up a league leading 145 earned runs. I recall a skirmish he had in the dugout with teammate Moises Alou when Alou failed to catch a fly ball in one game.

Lima would be traded back to the Tigers in the middle of the 2001 season but would be released at the end of the following season. At the time of his release he declared, "I must be the worst pitcher on Earth." He signed with the Kansas City Royals as a free agent prior to the 2003 season but success did not accompany him.

However, Lima would enjoy a renaissance season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004 going 13-5 with a 4.07 ERA en route to an NL West Division title. He would pitch a complete game five-hit shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the 2004 NLDS. It was the Dodgers only win against the Cardinals in that playoff.

But when Lima returned to the Royals in 2005 his pitching woes returned with a 5-16 record and a 6.99 ERA - the highest in MLB history by a pitcher who made more than 30 starts. He also led the AL in surrendering 131 earned runs.

Lima finished his big league career the following year with the New York Mets compiling an 0-4 record with 9.87 ERA before being released. He continued to play pro ball in South Korea as well as with several independent minor league teams.

What hits me here is that Lima and I are the same age. In fact, he was born exactly two weeks after me. It gives one pause for thought.

Republican Elected in Obama's Old Stomping Grounds

Could this be a sign of things to come in November?

Honolulu City Councillor Charles Djou, a Republican, won the special election in Hawaii's 1st Congressional District defeating two Democratic candidates.

What makes Djou's victory significant is that this is the Congressional District where President Obama was born and raised. It gave Obama 70% of the vote during the 2008 election.

If Obama's old stomping grounds are having doubts about him there perhaps more change will be afoot in the fall.

13-Year-Old Boy Climbs Atop Mount Everest

Last week, it was 16-year-old Jessica Watson sailing solo around the world.

This week, it is 13-year-old Jordan Romero climbing atop Mount Everest.

Some people question the wisdom of these undertakings by those of such a young age but I cannot help but admire their adventurous spirit.

Despite his tender age Romero has climbed the highest peak on every continent save for Antarctica.

Still, I have no illusions about the risk. Indeed, it is every bit as dangerous to climb down Everest than it is to climb up.

So here's to a safe journey back home.

I Like Pac-Man But Centipede is Better

I'm glad Google is commemorating the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man this weekend with an interactive doodle. Let's party like it's 1980.

But while I like Pac-Man (and for that matter Ms. Pac-Man) my favorite video game from 1980 was Centipede. I did better with a rolling a trackball than handling a joystick even if it did leave me with blisters on my fingers.

I'm not into World of Warcraft or Grand Theft Auto or any of the modern video games although I did enjoy playing baseball and bowling on Nintendo Wii one Sunday afternoon back in January. But I don't need state of the art graphics. Just give me something simple, direct and to the point.

Is ICE Putting Freeze on Arizona Immigration Law?

John Morton, Assistant Secretary of State for Homeland Security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has made it known that ICE might not enforce Arizona's recently passed immigration law.

Earlier this week, Morton told The Chicago Tribune, "I don't think the Arizona law, or laws like it, are the solution." Morton added that he wasn't of the opinion that the Arizona law represented "good government."

For all the hoopla that has surrounded Arizona's Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act the provision concerning the enforcement of immigration law can be summarized in three steps.

Step One - A law enforcement official has made a lawful stop, detention or arrest of an individual.

Step Two - A law enforcement official has developed a reasonable suspicion the individual is not in this country legally (i.e. failure to produce identification).

Step Three - On the basis of this reasonable suspicion, a law enforcement official contacts ICE to verify the individual's immigration status.

If Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano had bothered to read the statute they would have read the part which states:

The person's immigration status shall be verified with the federal government pursuant to 8 United States Code Section 1373(c).

And what exactly does 8 U.S. Code Section 1373(c) read? Well, read it. Don't just glance:

(c) Obligation to respond to inquiries

The Immigration and Naturalization Service shall respond to an inquiry by a Federal, State, or local government agency, seeking to verify or ascertain the citizenship or immigration status of any individual within the jurisdiction of the agency for any purpose authorized by law, by providing the requested verification or status information.

Simply put if an individual is deported as a result of this law it is a decision that would ultimately be rendered by ICE in accordance with federal law not by a law enforcement official in Arizona. And the federal government knows it all too well.

For years Arizona has been at the mercy of the federal government for its largely indifferent efforts to secure the Mexican border. Even with the passage of this law, Arizona is still at the mercy of the federal government. If ICE (with the support of the Obama Administration) makes a concerted effort to either ignore requests from Arizona law enforcement officials to determine an individual's immigration status they will have effectively neutralized their efforts to enforce immigration law and we'll be right back to where we are now. By which all appearances is exactly what the Obama Administration wants.